


An Open Letter

by strcwberryvivi (lovelcce)



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Again I'm so sorry about this, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-11-26 22:43:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20937968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelcce/pseuds/strcwberryvivi
Summary: -in which Yeojin writes a letter to her mother, Haseul-





	1. Chapter 1

Yeojin sighed, pulling her arms over her head in an attempt to stretch. She’d been working on a sociology assignment for the past two hours in a small cafe on campus, reordering tea and energy bars to muscle through it. It wasn’t hard, the assignment. At least, it shouldn’t have been. Write a letter to your parent of choice, and send it to them. That was easy. Her father lived in the same home as Yeojin still, but every time she tried to write down something it wouldn’t come out. Across from Yeojin sat Choerry, who was writing her own letter with an iced coffee halfway finished.

“What’s your problem with it?” Choerry asked, raising an eyebrow though she was still staring at her screen.

“My dad knows everything about me already. We have dinner and talk about our days. We hang out and watch movies. What could I possibly tell him a letter that he doesn’t already know?” Yeojin said, leaning back in her chair with a pronounced slouch.

“You tell your dad _everything_.” Choerry repeated, a slight tone of disbelief in her voice. Yeojin imagined she was thinking about the keg stand Yeojin had attempted at the last party they went to.

“Everything that I would be willing to tell him.”

“Right.”

“I’m serious!”

“It sounds like your dad’s your best friend.”

“Well, if I’m not his, then who else is it gonna be?”

Choerry sighed, pushing back from her computer to stare at Yeojin. “Write to your mom.”

“What? No.” Yeojin said. “Where would I even begin with that?”

“Well, it’s not like you talk to her everyday!”

“I don’t have a choice in that!”

“It’s for a grade!”

“No!”

The woman behind the counter in the cafe let out a soft ahem towards the two girls, who silently glared at each other. Choerry let her shoulder drop and rolled her eyes.

“I know you don’t want to.” She said, quietly now that the woman working the counter was watching. “But I think it’d be best for you and your grade.”

“Since when do you care about my grades?”

“Since it interfered with me doing my homework.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, really, what’s wrong?” Yeojin’s father said, sitting across from the small girl as he passed her some rice.

“Nothing, just an assignment.”

“You’re having trouble? You know, getting a Tudor isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

“No. Not that kind of assignment.” Yeojin said, poking at her dinner unenthusiastically. “We’re supposed to write a letter to a parent. But, you already know everything about me. What could I put in a letter that isn’t just… repetitive?”

Yeojin’s father put his chin in palm, scrunching his nose slightly in what Yeojin liked to call his ‘thinking face’.

“I think Haseul would like to hear from you.” He said finally, leaning back and grabbing some food. “I’ll bring the letter for you, if needed.”

“I’ll just… figure something out.”

“Yeojin!” Professor Lip smiled as she walked into the classroom. “How’s your assignment going?”

“It’s fine. Thank you.” Yeojin said softly, ducking her head.

“If you have any problems, let me know.” Lip said, turning away as Choerry walked. “Good morning, Choerry.”

“Morning!” A voice called as Yeojin stepped out of the cab. “Can I help you?”

A woman was standing near the gates, her long reddish hair pulled into a low pony tail and her jean overalls covered in grass stains.

“I’m just here to visit.” Yeojin said, shaking her head as the woman unlocked the large iron gate.

“Well, I’m Vivi. I’m the caretaker. New resident?” The woman asked.

“I just… don’t visit often.”

“Ah, well I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you, ma’am.” Vivi smiled, motioning Yeojin in. “Tuesdays are quiet days, anyways.”


	3. Chapter 3

The grave was almost exactly as Yeojin remembered it. The flowers her father put out religiously every week were placed in a small vase next to it, and the engraving of a dove was clearly etched onto the stone tablet. The grass around it was slightly browned in the fall chill, but was well maintained. Yeojin wondered how often Vivi cut the grass.

“I know it’s been a while, but can you really blame me?” Yeojin said, dropping a blanket on the ground in front of the headstone which she sat upon. “A graveyard’s kind of a depressing place to catch up with your mom.”

The headstone remained silent, and Yeojin let her shoulders fall.

“I haven’t been… ignoring you. It’s just hard to visit when I know you can’t answer me. That’s-“ Yeojin took a deep breath. “I wrote you a letter. It’s not much, and I had to write it for an assignment. I’m in college, now, by the way. You used to joke I’d hate it, and you were right. I don’t understand why I have to pay $100 for a book, Mom.”

Yeojin blinked, her face suddenly warm as tears pricked slightly. She grabbed the letter, and carefully propped it against the headstone. There was a single stamp on the front of it, a white dove carrying the sprig of a tree. Her mother’s favorite animal.

“I hope that you can read it, wherever you are.”

Yeojin wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her peacoat before folding the blanket over her arm as she walked.

“Done already?” Vivi asked, a vase of wilting flowers in her arms.

Yeojin nodded, trying her best to look composed.

Vivi smiled slightly and shifted the vase. “Well, I can’t have you go home all distraught. Come on, have some tea with me.”

Yeojin shook her. “I really can’t intrude.”

“I’m not going to poison you.” Vivi laughed. “Just because I work here doesn’t mean I want to make more bodies. Now, I won’t take no for an answer, and the caretaker office is rather well furnished, if I do say so myself.”

Yeojin smiled, and followed Vivi up a small hill towards a small brick building.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing in the flowers.” Vivi said, “I normally compost the flowers the family leaves for over a week, but my compost box is a little full right now. As winter comes, less people visit.”

The inside of the office was exactly what you would expect from a fairy’s house in a fantasy novel. The chairs were all plush and soft, and there was a small fireplace with a coffee table in front of it. The drapes were a soft creme color, and were pulled back to let in natural light. There was a bookcase overflowing with novels, and the desk was tucked away in a corner, a single file cabinet next to it.

“I noticed you were here for Haseul.” Vivi said, before pausing self consciously. “My apologies. I don’t mean to be informal with your relative. But after so many days spent taking care of the plots, you get to know the headstones.”

“It’s okay.” Yeojin smiled, thanking Vivi for the cup of tea passed to her. “She was mother.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. You look rather young. Are you in school?”

“College. I just started my second semester.”

“You mentioned that you clean up the flowers. Do you ever have other things left on headstones?” Yeojin asked, trying to appear nonchalant.

“I’ll take that to mean you left something besides flowers.” Vivi laughed softly. “Yes, some people leave ribbons for cancer patients. I’ve had some people leave jewelry the deceased loved. A few letters have been left behind, too.”

“What do you do with them?”

“Well, it depends.” Vivi said. “For ribbons, if they’re tied to a vase or to the headstone itself, I leave it until it becomes dirty. Then, normally, I’ll try and find a similar one and replace it. In some cases, I called the family to see if they knew where to find a ribbon. That was for a young girl named Hyunjin, she passed when she was a teenager. Someone left a yellow ribbon with cartoon kittens on it, and I could never find a similar ribbon. So, I got a small box, and placed the ribbon inside of it. The box is still next to her headstone.

“Jewelry is pretty much all the same. I have to call the family and ask if they would like to pick it up or if they would like me to attach it to the headstone. It’s the same as Hyunjin’s ribbon, except the top of that box is see through, and is completely sealed. I can’t even open those boxes.”

“What about letters?” Yeojin said, tracing her thumb over the rim of her mug.

“I don’t read any of them, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Vivi stood from the table, walking over to the filing cabinet. “I actually put them away. Store them just in case. No one’s ever asked for a letter back, but it’s better to make sure I have them all locked in here. There’s a file, generally, for every headstone. If a letter has been left, then that headstone has a file. If not, then no file. But it’s surprisingly common for here.”

Vivi rummaged through one of the drawers, before pulling out a manilla folder. “I can’t allow you to read the contents of these, I hope you understand. But your mother has received quite a few letters herself.”

The folder was practically overflowing with envelopes. Every single one of them addressed in her father’s handwriting and dated. Every important date had a letter. Haseul’s death. Yeojin’s graduation. Her acceptance into college. And other days Yeojin could only imagine her father thought were important for her mother to know. The tears came easily now, and Yeojin clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a sob.

It was late when Yeojin got home, having spent most of the afternoon in Vivi’s company. Her father stood at the stove, dinner almost done as Yeojin suddenly hugged him tightly. Her father laughed, but hugged her back with a kiss on the forehead.

“It’s not that I don’t love you hugs, but what’s the occasion?” He said as Yeojin pulled away.

“Nothing really. I just wanted to remind you that you’re the best father anyone could ask for. You know that right?”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Watch out, my ego’s gonna get big with talk like that.”

“No, Dad, really.” Yeojin said, and her father’s laughter stopped. “You’re the best dad anyone could ask for and I love you.”

“I love you too, Yeojinnie.”


End file.
